Post-normal science as a movement:
between informed critical resistance, reform and the making of futures

@Barcelona, 15-17 November 2018

Call for contributions
Science, as it stands today, faces a crisis of public and political trust, combined with an inner erosion of standards of quality and integrity. Scientific findings are increasingly recognised as neither as reliable, nor reproducible, as they used to be portrayed. Beliefs in, and self-declarations of, the disinterestedness of scientific endeavours, separated from vested interest, political agenda or social and cultural context are recognised as empirically and philosophically problematic. Scientific elites are, for better or for worse, challenged by an erosion of trust on a par with that experienced by political elites in modern societies. Scientific institutions charged with higher education face demands of high societal relevance and impact which they do not know how to meet and how to prepare for.

This crisis on multiple fronts calls for a fundamental reform. Post-normal science (PNS) offers direction to such a reform, as a critical concept challenging mainstream practices of science, as an inspiration for new styles of research practice, and as an inspiration and support for new conventions of research quality assurance that better respond to the post-normal conditions of today's societal challenges. This multifaceted nature of PNS is both descriptive and normative. It provides a framework for describing and diagnosing urgent decision problems – post-normal issues – characterized by incomplete, uncertain or contested knowledge and high decision stakes, and critical reflection on how these characteristics change the relationship between science and governance. At the same time, PNS inspires a movement of critical resistance and reform towards a new style of scientific inquiry and practice that is reflexive, inclusive (in the sense that it seeks upstream engagement of extended peer communities) and transparent in regards to scientific uncertainty, ignorance, values and framings, and moving into a direction of democratisation of expertise.

This fourth PNS symposium [PNS1 in Bergen, NO, PNS2 in Ispra, IT (summarized in a recent special issue of Futures) and PNS3 in Tübingen, DE] provides a platform to discuss and explore the guidance that post-normal science can offer in finding a way out of the present crisis in and around science.

Call for contributions
Discussions of recent political events – most notably the presidential election in the United States and the referendum in the United Kingdom to (Br)exit the European Union - frequently refer to ideas of ‘post-truth’, ‘post-evidence’ or ‘post-factual’ politics. In its ambiguity, the idea of a ‘post-truth’ age manifests a crisis of trust in both democratic and scientific institutions. At the same time, it implies the untenable assumption that politics and policies were once, and should be again, based on a unique truth provided by science (comprising the whole spectrum of natural and social sciences, and humanities).

After a decade of fruitful use and further methodological development, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency publishes the second edition of its Guidance for Uncertainty Assessment and Communication. The first edition was published by PBL’s predecessor, RIVM/MNP, in 2003. Without adequate attention for the implications of uncertainty, there is a risk of compromising the credibility of assessment studies. The Guidance is intended as an instrument to guide analysts, in order for them to reach thorough conclusions that reflect the underlying uncertainties and provide maximum transparency.

Dealing with uncertainty, in terms of analysis and communication, is an important and distinct topic for PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. Without paying adequate attention to the role and implications of uncertainty, research and assessment results may be of limited value and could lead to incorrect policy decisions and all the related consequences.

Special Issue on Post Normal Science, Futures, March 2011
A selection of papers from the symposium "Post Normal Science – perspectives & prospectives 26-27th June 2009: Oxford On the occasion of the 80th birthday of Jerry Ravetz, has been published in a special issue of Futures.

Expected impacts of climate change are associated with large uncertainties, particularly at the local level. Adaptation scientists, practitioners, and decision-makers will need to find ways to cope with these uncertainties. Several approaches have been suggested as ‘uncertainty-proof’ to some degree, but their suitability depends on the specific situation. For instance, some approaches work well under deep uncertainty, while others perform better under lower levels of uncertainty. This thesis presents several empirical studies on climate change impacts & adaptation under uncertainty in actual adaptation decision-situations. Methods used include expert elicitation, document analysis, empirical workshops, discourse analysis, literature review, and case-study analysis.

This volume discusses the changing role of science in policymaking. Producers and users of science and technology for policy are increasingly aware of the need to change the ways in which knowledge is produced and deployed, especially science‐based knowledge used to foster, support, or legitimize policy decision making. The challenge is to develop new decision‐making styles in order to cope with deep uncertainty, even ignorance, about facts, and in a plurality of value systems.

A group of students from Aalborg University applied the NUSAP approach to the risk of methane migration into houses situated on the terminated landfill “Skrænten” in Hjørring, Denmark”. The team consists of Marie Inger Dam, Jon Kjær Jensen, Jóhann Gunnar Jónsson, Mathias Krause Kristensen, Ane Katrine Mortensen, Ole Papsø, Mette Skovmand and Tom Børsen. Their report "Inclusion of Pedigree-analysis (NUSAP) in undergraduate science education: An example" is now available. It may serve as an example and source of inspiration for other students and professors who would like to use NUSAP in BSc and MSc education.

A new report Tool catalogue frame-based information tools has been published.

In the perception, knowledge production and policymaking on complex issues (‘wicked
problems’), such as climate change, frames and framing play an important but often hidden
role. Frames relate to one’s ‘schemas of interpretation’; the conceptual images, values,
starting points, and mental models that one may have of an issue. This can include, for
instance, one’s problem definition, perceptions of the cause-effect relationships in an issue,
one’s primary goals, perception of one’s and others’ roles and responsibilities relating to the
issue, and views on suitable strategies and interaction with (other) stakeholders
Differences in frames can lead to miscommunication and conflicts.
This tool catalogue is intended as an idea-guide and eye-opener for organisations who are
confronted with framing-related issues and who want to take these into account when
developing knowledge, policy, or viewpoints.
The catalogue does not aim to give a complete list of methods. Rather, it will present
a number of characteristic examples of how various tools deal with framing. Some
suggestions will be given on the situations for which these approaches are most suitable. For
more extensive overviews of participatory methods, refer to the various stakeholder
participation guidelines and catalogues that are available (several references have been
included in the present document).

A new report Expert Elicitation: Methodological suggestions for
its use in environmental health impact assessments has been published. It provides practical guidance on organising expert panels to assess uncertainty and risk.

This document contains three parts: (1) an introduction, (2) an overview with building blocks
and methodological suggestions for a formal expert elicitation procedure; and (3) a literature
list with key sources of information used and suggestions for further reading.

A practical guide to uncertainty communication has been developed for the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. It offers background information on uncertainty communication, and contains suggestions and guidance on how to communicate uncertainties in environmental assessment reports to several target audiences in an adequate, clear, and systematic way. It is not claimed that this is the only way or the best way to communicate uncertainty information, but the guidance in this report draws upon insights from the literature, insights from an international expert workshop on uncertainty communication, and several uncertainty communication experiments in the Utrecht Policy Laboratory.

Copernicus Institute Utrecht University and Tyndall Centre for climate change research issued a new report reviewing state-of-the-art of methods and tools available in the literature in helping
inform adaptation decisions under uncertainty. The report reviews existing frameworks for decision making under uncertainty for
adaptation to climate change. It explores how different ways of including
uncertainty in decision making match with uncertainty information provided by various
uncertainty assessment methods. It reviews a broad range of areas of climate change impacts
and impacted sectors of society and economy that may require a response of planned
adaptation.

The prevailing paradigm of science is not suitable for the science policy context with its different perceptions of reality and presence of great scientific uncertainty and ignorance. A paradigm shift is argued by the concept of post-normal science, which emerged from dissatisfaction with knowledge arising from the gap between policy questions and scientific answers. Scientific policy advising in normal and post-normal context exemplify the line of reasoning.